Well, folks, let me tell you—just landed back from São Paulo, and my head is still spinning from the energy of the Red Bull Campus Clutch Valorant world finals. As I write this in 2026, the echoes of those insane quarter-final matches are still ringing in my ears. Over two absolutely packed days, the field of 48 international student teams got sliced down to just four, all hungry for that €20,000 grand prize. The air was thick with tension, hype, and the smell of victory (and probably a lot of energy drinks). It was something else.

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So, let's dive into the chaos. First up, we had the defending champs from Egypt. Remember Anubis Gaming's shocking win last year? Yeah, well, that team's legacy is now split between RA'AD and Bravado. Talk about a plot twist. Bravado snuck in through a last-chance qualifier but, bless 'em, couldn't get out of the group stage. RA'AD, on the other hand, had a day of pure drama. They stumbled right out the gate, taking an L against Indonesia's BaTagoR. You could feel the nerves. But then, wow, they just... flipped a switch. They scrapped through a tough second win and then absolutely dominated the third map, Haven, with a brutal 13-2 scoreline. It was like watching a phoenix rise, I swear.

Their reward? A quarter-final showdown with Canada's o7. And let me tell you, the buzz around this Canadian squad was real. They'd just dismantled Denmark's ESP without breaking a sweat (13-3, 13-2), and they brought that same fire to Egypt. This was the closest fight of the quarters, hands down. o7 pushed the former champions to their absolute limit, winning 13-7 and 13-9. Egypt fought valiantly, but Canada was just on another level that day. A proper nail-biter.

Now, for some South American flair! Peru's Nitrous Gaming sent the UK team home with a heart-stopping 2-1 victory. The scores tell the whole story:

  • Map 1: Nitrous wins by a slim 3-round margin.

  • Map 2: UK bounces back strong, 13-5.

  • Map 3: A total cliffhanger! Nitrous clutches it out 13-11. I mean, talk about leaving it all on the server!

Their joy was short-lived, though. On the main stage, they ran into the Polish buzzsaw. Team Poland just... wiped the floor with them. No two ways about it. 13-5 and 13-6. Sometimes you just meet a team that's feeling it, you know?

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Over in another corner of the bracket, the favorites were doing their thing. Team USA's Northwood University entered with a huge target on their back—loved by commentators and feared by rivals. And they played like it. They handled Chile's CONDORIT0 with authority (13-7, 13-2). Their next opponent, the Czech Republic's NARODNI GARDA, was also looking fierce after clean sweeps against Pakistan. But Northwood? They just had that champion's composure. Another clean 2-0 win (13-5, 13-6) proved all the hype was justified.

But the story of the tournament, for me, has to be North Macedonia. OBK. Where did they come from? This is the beauty of these events, right? A team comes out of nowhere and just captures everyone's imagination. They dismantled New Zealand's E Blacks, who were supposed to be a dark horse—their player 'signed' was called "a demon on the sticks"! OBK didn't care. 13-7, 13-4. Then they faced Slovenia's Jordani and put on a masterclass: a solid 13-8 followed by a devastating 13-3. The arena was electric. Even the recently eliminated Egyptian team, Bravado, had been rooting for them. Could OBK be the new Egypt? The Cinderella story of 2026? We're about to find out.

So, here we are. The semi-finals are set for tomorrow, and my goodness, are they spicy.

Matchup The Vibe My Gut Feeling (for what it's worth)
USA (Northwood) vs North Macedonia (OBK) The established powerhouse vs. the Cinderella story. Must-watch TV. This is impossible to call. Northwood is a machine, but OBK has that magical, fearless energy. It'll go the distance.
Canada (o7) vs Poland The hot new contenders vs. the dominant force. Pure firepower. Both looked unstoppable. Poland's synergy is scary, but Canada's confidence is through the roof. Flip a coin!

It's anyone's game. The level of play this year is just... different. We've seen champions fall, underdogs rise, and maps decided by a single round. São Paulo has delivered one heck of a show. Now, we wait for the final act. Catch the action live—you won't want to miss a second of what comes next.